Days after Cup Series drivers Daniel Suarez and Ross Chastain got into a post-race confrontation following the Pennzoil 400, 23XI Racing’s Bubba Wallace became the latest to weigh in on fighting in NASCAR and the rule in place for fining drivers when it happened.
Speaking to Dalton Hopkins of Frontstretch.com ahead of Saturday’s Cup Series practice and qualifying sessions at Darlington Raceway, Wallace shared his perspective on whether or not NASCAR should permit drivers to fight again.
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“I don’t think so. When you’re done wrong…I blame my dad, but I also respect how he was was, He was an eye for an eye, right? When you’re disrespected, it’s a fine line of being the better person or making sure they don’t do it again. … There needs to be a fine line because it’s gonna keep happening”
NASCAR Cup Series driver Bubba Wallace on if there should be fines for fighting other drivers (H/T Dalton Hopkins of Frontstretch.com)
Last Sunday, Suarez got out of his car and came over to confront Chastain on pit road. Chastain shoved him away a few moments later before people got in-between the two drivers to prevent things escalating. Days later, Suarez said that he would’ve fought Chastain if not for the fine he would receive from NASCAR and the impact fighting can have on interest from sponsors.
There hasn’t been a fight involving NASCAR Cup Series drivers since Ricky Stenhouse Jr. swung on Kyle Busch following the 2024 All-Star Race. Just days after the fracas, NASCAR announced that Stenhouse Jr. was fined $75,000 and two crew members also received suspensions for their roles in the brawl.
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The great irony, as Chase Elliott later pointed out, was that NASCAR handed Stenhouse its largest fine ever for fighting but the video was also used for marketing, creating engagement on social media and it brought more attention to the sport that many company executives have wanted.
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In speaking to Hopkins, Wallace proposed something that could provide fans, drivers and NASCAR what it wants all the while ensuring no one gets seriously hurt. Adopting something along the lines of hockey rules could help settle what drivers perceive as persistent disrespect from a peer and could prevent things escalating to something much worse down the line.
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“I think it’s fair but, we’ve always talked about the hockey rules. Go the the ground and then you can stop it, but there needs to be a fine line. Because it’s going to keep happening, you’re going to keep getting disrespected until it’s behind the scenes and it’s much worse.”
Bubba Wallace on current NASCAR rules about fighting and the risks of not allowing it
For Wallace, who just announced that he and his wife welcomed their second child on Thursday, a $75,000 fine simply isn’t worth it to settle differences with another driver after a race. If NASCAR ever decides to be a little more lax with its penalties for fighting, all the while still having personnel step in to avoid a true brawl or significant injuries, perhaps it can work out for everyone in the long run.
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